Commemorative Booklet for CAAT 20^th Anniversary Symposium

Awards

Without our generous sponsors and supporters, great and small, the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing would not exist. For 20 years, these companies and organizations have made it possible for CAAT to promote the development, validation, and use of alternative methods. Through their participation on the CAAT Advisory Board, our sponsors have kept us informed about the needs of industry and the concerns of advocacy groups, as well as the trends in science and business. Working together with us as partners, they have been responsible for the scope and direction of our programs.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank some of the outstanding supporters who have made 20 years of progress in humane science possible. These companies and individuals have provided at least $500,000 to CAAT:

3M

3M has actively supported refinement, reduction and replacement options to animal use in research and development. Several years ago, 3M established a Strategic Toxicology Laboratory in order to develop alternative methods for use in safety assessment of new molecules and products. These approaches have not only resulted in refinements to reduce pain and distress, but also in significant reductions in animal use as well as the validation of replacement methods. In addition, the company has focused on preventing unnecessary animal testing by considering and leveraging existing data and information before testing products.

3M has been a major CAAT supporter for nearly a decade. In addition to sponsoring CAAT, the company's support also made it possible for the Center to print and distribute Caatalyst, a publication educating middle school children about the 3Rs. More recently, 3M was a sponsor of TestSmart-Pharmaceuticals in May 2001.

Alberto-Culver Company

Alberto-Culver is committed to the 3Rs philosophy, actively striving for refinement, reduction, and replacement of animals in their testing procedures. The company has not tested its products on animals for 10 years, relying instead on alternative methods or using only ingredients for which toxicity already has been determined. Alberto-Culver now is preparing to launch a validation effort on a new in vitro method, Skinethic, a reconstituted human tissue model. In collaboration with Skinethic, Inc. they will conduct a series of validation studies -- which will include both safety and efficacy testing -- on this potential alternative to traditional skin irritation tests.

Alberto-Culver has been a long-time sponsor of CAAT and member of the CAAT Advisory Board. The company also makes its employees aware of the alternatives philosophy, incorporating it into their new-employee orientation program and distributing CAAT brochures and posters throughout their facilities.

Avon Products, Inc.

Avon's support of a collaborative research project on allergic contact dermatitis led to the development of a battery of sophisticated in vitro tests that have dramatically decreased animal use and created a model for other companies to follow in the pursuit of alternative methods.

The Avon Program Project set aside more than $1 million to study in detail what happens at the molecular level when a substance is applied to human skin. The seed grants provided through the Program Project, though small, allowed investigators to develop their research until it could qualify for larger grants. At the same time, the collaborative aspect of the program allowed each investigator to achieve far more than could have been possible alone.

In 1989, after nine years of efforts to reduce and refine its animal testing program, Avon stopped doing animal tests altogether. Today, Avon continues its no-animal test policy, instead utilizing a wide range of alternatives developed through in-house and outside researchers to test the safety of its ingredients and products.

Bernice Barbour Foundation, Inc.

CAAT was one of the first recipients of a grant from The Bernice Barbour Foundation, a private tax-exempt foundation established in 1986 by Bernice Wall Barbour. The Barbour Foundation has been a strong supporter of CAAT's efforts to disseminate accurate information about the 3Rs to a diverse international audience.

Today, thanks to the Barbour Foundation's generous support, CAAT manages three websites, including Altweb, the clearinghouse for alteratives news, information, and resources on the web, as well as a listserv and a host of printed publications.

The Barbour Foundation, which provides grants for the preservation and care of animals and the prevention of cruelty to animals, also has funded a number of important workshops and programs, including conferences at Georgetown University's Kennedy School of Ethics on the ethical use of laboratory animals, the first workshop organized by AAALAC, and a series of programs in lab animal welfare at veterinary schools.

Currently, in addition to supporting CAAT, the Barbour Foundation is providing a four-year fellowship at the University of California, Davis, Center for Comparative Medicine that focuses on genotype and phenotype studies of laboratory rodents, and in particular on the husbandry needs of genetically engineered animals.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

In 1998, this global pharmaceutical and health care company received the National Medal of Technology -- America's highest honor for technological innovation -- "for extending and enhancing human life through innovative pharmaceutical research and development, and for redefining the science of clinical study through groundbreaking and hugely complex clinical trials that are recognized models in the industry."

Bristol-Myers Squibb also has taken the initiative in innovative approaches to product safety testing. The company has adopted many alternative tests -- reducing and, in some cases, eliminating the use of animals. Bristol-Myers Squibb played a key role in the validation of the LAL assay, a test that replaced the use of live rabbits with an in vitro procedure. Bristol-Myers Squibb has been an active participant in the Center's programs throughout CAAT's history, sponsoring meetings, funding grants, and supplying speakers for workshops and symposia and representatives to our Advisory Board.

Cosmetic, Toiletry, And Fragrance Association (CTFA)

Without the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA), CAAT would not exist. In 1981, this organization provided the $1 million, three-year grant that established our Center. In 1984, CTFA provided CAAT with a second, $700,000 grant to firmly underline its support of CAAT's scientific approach to developing alternative methods. CTFA has continued to support the Center and has urged others to do so.

The CTFA is the leading U.S. trade association for the personal care products industry, with about 600 member companies. CTFA has led the effort for scientific validation of new in vitro methods. Working with CAAT and its member companies, CTFA has helped transform the personal care products industry. Twenty years ago, few companies considered alternatives when it came to product safety testing. Today, major cosmetics companies have replaced laboratory animals with more humane methods, setting an example for other industries to follow.

ExxonMobil Corporation

ExxonMobil has sponsored CAAT and been a member of the Advisory Board (starting with Bob Scala) since 1984 and, in that role, has been a strong supporter of the 3Rs. ExxonMobil has been a frequent publisher of scientific papers on methods that reduce animal use and lay the groundwork for validation.

ExxonMobil scientists have developed unique methods that replace animals entirely. One is a modification to the Ames Salmonella mutagenicity test that specifically enhances the ability to predict the carcinogenic potential of non-water soluble hydrocarbon products. Another recent example has been the application of solid phase micro-extraction to the prediction of aquatic toxicity in fish (a technique dubbed "Tox-on-a-stick"). This method now can be used to predict toxicity in other animals.

ExxonMobil broadly embraces the philosophy of the 3Rs and applies it to its safety testing programs. Early on, company protocols had special requirements to minimize animal testing, such as the initial use of pilot studies before testing large numbers of animals.

The company contines to evaluate alternatives in an effort to replace animal tests (e.g., Corrositex and the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability models) and strongly advocates the validation of alternatives (e.g., Local Lymph Node Assay). Finally, ExxonMobil labs use computer modeling and SARs to predict toxicity while reducing animal use.

The Gillette Company

The Gillette Company has been a sponsor and member of the CAAT Advisory Board for more than five years. Gillette also has conducted significant research that has led to the development of useful non-animal tests. As a result, the company stopped using laboratory animals in 1996.

Working together, CAAT and Gillette have developed a program aimed at solving a vexing problem: how to predict recovery of the eye after injury caused by chemical exposure. Three years ago, CAAT organized a Program Project funded by The Gillette Company to conduct research on the mechanisms of eye injury. This project is important because in vitro tests available today have been developed primarily to predict acute eye injury after chemical exposure. However, in order to develop methods that predict recovery it is necessary to conduct more basic research. CAAT and Gillette have offered several scientists the funding needed to study this problem and to collaborate on in vitro test development. This project has been successful, resulting in development of new cell lines, three-dimensional cornea culture models, and an ex vivo wound healing model ready to enter the pre-validation process.

Gillette scientists have been instrumental in developing human corneal cell lines that are used in an in vitro test currently undergoing formal validation, the HCE-T TEP Assay.

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a household name, but the public probably has no idea how much this diverse, multinational healthcare corporation has accomplished for animals. A survey of J&J worldwide operations in 2000 revealed more than 160 different in vitro methods in use. Last year, J&J devoted more than $37 million to promote alternative methods. Equally important has been the corporation's commitment to protecting and enhancing animal welfare; guidelines for animal care and use are among the few policies to be imposed throughout all of the J&J's Family of Companies.

J&J has sponsored CAAT programs for more than a decade. In addition, the corporation has supported a variety of organizations in the alternatives and animal welfare fields, including the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, the Belgian Platform for Alternative Methods and Techologies, and the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare.

J&J regularly sponsors symposia and workshops, and its research scientists frequently publish their findings. Currently, the corporation is participating in a European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association program to validate alternatives to the rabbit eye irritation test.

To minimize animal tests in the development of new medical devices, J&J recently developed the Biocompatibility Database to share testing information among the J&J companies involved with this product area. A cosmetic ingredient database is currently under development.

L'Oreal

Mary Kay, Inc.

Mary Kay Inc. is the best-selling brand of skin care products and cosmetics in the United States. Last year, the company's sales force of more than 800,000 independent beauty consultants in 37 countries sold in excess of $2.1 billion in products.

More than a decade ago, Mary Kay became one of the first companies to cease using animals for product safety tests. Today, the company continues to support CAAT in its efforts to promote the development, validation, and use of new alternative methods.

To signify its ongoing commitment to animals, Mary Kay Inc. signed a pledge drafted by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. This pledge provides assurance that the company will not use animal tests at any time in the future.

In recent years, Mary Kay Inc. has sponsored the development of alternative methods through partnerships with CTFA and the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI).

Procter & Gamble Company

Procter & Gamble has devoted decades and more than $150 million dollars to the development, validation, and acceptance of alternative methods, through both its in-house research program and its support of external programs elsewhere. One of the many beneficiaries of this effort has been CAAT.

Development of alternatives is part of the corporate culture at the P&G. The firm has established an extensive research program on alternatives; P&G scientists regularly publish papers on new alternative methods, and information about promising methods is routinely disseminated throughout the company. These efforts proved so successful that in 1999, P&G stopped animal testing on all non-food/non-drug products intended for human use, except as required by law.

Realizing that a recognized process for validation of alternative methods was crucial for acceptance by regulatory agencies, P&G scientists have been active participants in the many activities that led to the adoption of internationally accepted validation criteria. They also were active supporters of the original U.S. legislation that led to the creation of ICCVAM.

P&G has been an active participant in CAAT for most of the Center's history, sponsoring workshops and symposia, providing funds for grants and validation efforts, and serving as the primary catalyst behind the launch of Altweb and the TestSmart program.

Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation

Regina Bauer Frankenberg, a lifelong proponent of animal welfare, devoted much of her energy and her resources to improving the world for animals. During her lifetime, she was a major supporter of programs at the Humane Society of the United States and Friends of Animals.

At her death about a decade ago, she left the bulk of her estate to establish the Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation. The Foundation has carried on her passion for animals through its support of a variety of important programs in the animal welfare community. Grants provided by the Foundation support a range of activities: from habitat preservation to animal shelters, wildlife preserves to education and advocacy efforts.

The Foundation has funded CAAT's information and education program since 1994 and is a major sponsor of Altweb, the international clearinghouse of alternatives news, information, and resources managed by CAAT. This funding allows CAAT to disseminate information rapidly about new alternative methods to people in more than 75 countries.

Rohm and Haas Company

Rohm and Haas Company, a major producer of specialty chemicals worldwide, has always been a strong proponent of adopting the best available technology to identify hazards and assess potential health risk. These technological advances have frequently led to the company's use of alternative methods in its research and commercial testing facilities, as well as a decline in the use of animals.

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling is one area in which Rohm and Haas has made an important contribution to the development of new alternative methods. Rohm and Haas scientists significantly refined this method, which combines physiological constants such as blood flow with a computer model to predict target organ concentrations of potential toxins. These models allow scientists to predict the probability that a chemical will cause a toxic response, under widely varying conditions of exposure.

Rohm and Haas became a sponsor and joined the CAAT Advisory Board in 1994. In 1995-6, the company supported CAAT's In Vitro Toxicology Core Laboratory. In addition to its participation in CAAT activities, Rohm and Haas actively supports organizations such as the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME) in the United Kingdom.

Tee and Norman Carlson

Tee and Norman Carlson have a deep and abiding interest in animal welfare that has been present throughout their marriage. For years, they have dedicated their time and resources to improving the lives of animals, both on their farms and around the country.

When the Carlsons learned about CAAT, they realized they had found an organization that shared their philosophy and goals. In 1998, they decided to donate a farm valued at more than $1 million to establish an endowment for the Center. This remains the largest gift CAAT has received from a family in its history. Through their generosity and vision, the Carlsons have guaranteed that their efforts will not end with their deaths, but continue through programs established to improve the lives and welfare of both animals and people.

CAAT 20th Anniversary Symposium

Commemorative Booklet for CAAT 20th Anniversary Symposium